Shelter From the Storm
by Queen-Annabeth-Winchester
Summary: After eight years in the National Hockey League, Castiel Novak is ready for a change. When he is made an offer that he can't refuse from a rival team, he chooses to move to the Lawrence Hunters. He is forced to confront his past with his new teammate and captain, Dean Winchester. Throughout the season, they go from rivals to teammates to friends to more. Destiel Sports AU
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Supernatural. The prompt belongs to - and the rest of the story as well as any original characters belong to me.**

**Summary: After eight years in the National Hockey League, Castiel Novak is ready for a change. When he is made an offer that he can't refuse from a rival team, he chooses to move to the Lawrence Hunters. He is forced to confront his past with his new teammate and captain, Dean Winchester. Throughout the season, they go from rivals to teammates to friends to more.**

**A few things: **

**1. I am going to be using many different hockey videos on YouTube to help model this story. I am a very visual person and it helps me to see things. If you would like to see them, the videos will be on my tumblr that is linked on my profile.**

**2. If you want to look up videos of your own, I will be modeling Dean and Castiel's playing styles after two hockey players that I greatly admire. Dean will have a style like Jamie Benn and Castiel like Mike Modano. Those two men play quite differently but their styles go together with ease, which is why I chose them.**

**3. This will be a slow burn fic. Dean and Castiel do start out as rivals and it won't be an easy road to get them together.**

**4. There will be many different canon characters showing up as the story goes on.**

* * *

The room was silent, all eyes on the man seated at the end of the table. None of them knew what his decision would be, especially since he made it clear that it was his choice and his alone. Castiel Novak had many options laid out before him and whatever he said when the phone rang would change the course of his entire career.

"I just need to say something." The sports agent spoke up.

Everyone else in the room groaned, including the current General Manager of the Pontiac Angels as well as Castiel's lawyer and best friend, Balthazar.

"I told you, Zachariah, there is nothing I wish to hear from you on the subject." Castiel said in an even voice, staring at the phone on the table.

"Even so, Castiel… if you do this, your career will be ruined. There is no way that you will get the proper amount of ice time on that team. You will be the highest paid benchwarmer in the National Hockey League." Zachariah ranted angrily, unable to believe that his highest profile client was doing this. "You are giving up your spot on the second best team in the league."

Castiel nodded in agreement as if the agent was making his point for him.

"Exactly, the second best." He said.

Zachariah scoffed, shaking his head.

"The Hunters didn't even make it past the second round of the playoffs this year. They had a pathetic season and an even more pathetic playoff run. You are signing away your career. I cannot sit idly by and watch as you…"

"No one is making you sit here, Zachariah." Castiel cut him off, finally looking up at him with focused eyes. "If you don't want to be involved any longer, you know where the door is."

The older man fell silent, glowering at his client as he pressed his lips together. Silence reigned in the room until the shrill ring filled the room. Castiel took a deep breath, reaching for the phone as he thought of all that happened to lead him there.

* * *

_The room was crowded with nervous young men, each of them eager and terrified for the events of the next day. It was what every moment of their lives had been leading to, the one event that would change everything. Castiel's leg was bouncing as he sat in the seat. They had to take the physicals first, an examination to ensure their health. Then came the evaluations of their strength to ensure that they were strong enough to play with the big boys. Across the room, he read the sign posted there. He chewed on his lip, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. _

_He visualized himself on the ice, a stick in his hand and the puck at his feet as he hovered at center ice. There was no one else there. It was just him and the cool air. Castiel took a deep breath, tapping his stick on the ice twice before taking off towards the goal. He batted the puck around, twisting and darting around as if avoiding invisible opponents. His eyes narrowed at the crease and he turned his body around, flicking the puck between his legs and into the net effortlessly. He came to a stop, pieces of ice flying into the air as his skates dug into the cold surface. Castiel nodded, a smile quirking on his lips._

"_Castiel Novak."_

_His eyes popped up and he sat up, looking at the woman standing with a clipboard._

"_It's time." she said, smiling at him._

_As they walked down the hallway towards the examination room, she looked over at him._

"_Are you nervous?"_

_He ducked his head, nodding once._

"_Don't worry. You'll do great. The way I hear it, you're one of the ones to beat this year."_

_Castiel flushed but smiled over at the doctor as she led him into the room._

"_I'm sure you see a lot of nervous guys." He said._

"_Honey, all of the great hockey players that you idolize were just like you on their weekend. A few of them probably even fainted." She replied with a laugh._

_Castiel felt better as he sat on the table. On the television, they were already showing coverage on ESPN._

"_Welcome to the 2006 NHL Draft from San Jose, California. Let's take a look at the prospective players."_

_Once the examination was over, Castiel was free to go. As soon as he walked out, he bumped into somebody and sent them both staggering into opposite walls._

"_I'm so sorry." He said quickly, holding his hands out with wide eyes. _

_The other male shook his head, shooting him a brilliant smile. His green eyes were shining and Castiel could see a dusting of freckles across his cheeks._

"_No problem, man. You just finish?" he asked, nodding at the exam room._

_Castiel nodded at him, unconsciously walking with him as they continued down the hallway._

"_Yeah, me too. We're almost done." The other young man said, looking relieved._

_Castiel took a deep breath, hardly able to believe that this was finally here. As they reached the end of the hallway, they both stopped and faced each other._

"_I'm Dean Winchester." He said, holding his hand out._

_Of course Castiel heard of him, he broke records in high school, just as he had himself._

"_Castiel Novak." He said, shaking his head._

_It was clear by the look in Dean's eyes that he heard of Castiel as well._

"_Good luck, Castiel." He said, smiling at him once more before walking out._

* * *

Castiel picked the phone up, holding it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said.

"Mr. Novak?" a voice said on the other end.

He never heard it in person but from interviews, he recognized it immediately.

"Mr. Roman, it's a pleasure to hear from you." Castiel replied diplomatically.

In reality, the owner of the Lawrence Hunters came off as a creepy man but he was great at his job.

"Trust me, Castiel, the pleasure is all mine." Dick Roman said, the sound of his voice making it clear that he was smirking.

"You're on speaker and I have Bobby Singer with me here as well as Samuel Campbell."

Castiel carefully hid his sharp intake of breath at the information. The coach and the general manager of the team were even more intimidating than the owner.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." He said in an even voice.

"Castiel, we've called to offer a place for you on our team. I know we're probably not your number one choice, considering what has happened in the past. But I guarantee you that you will be a valued player to our organization and our boys will welcome you with open arms."

He fought back the urge to scoff at Campbell's words. Castiel would likely receive a fist to the face before a warm welcome from the players in Lawrence.

* * *

"_Fancy seeing you again." A voice said behind him._

_Castiel turned his head, smiling at Dean before he knew it._

"_Please, join me." he said, gesturing to the seat next to him._

_Dean obliged, sitting down on the bench. He ordered the same as Castiel, a glass of water._

"_Twenty-four hours and we'll know where we're going." Dean said, shaking his head._

"_I can hardly believe it myself." Castiel admitted._

_Dean glanced over at him as he took a sip of water._

"_Where's your family?" he asked._

"_They're out on the town. I decided to have the night to myself. They can have me tomorrow night. Yours?" Castiel asked._

_He glanced around before shrugging._

"_I think my kid brother is on the hunt for Mike Modano or Brett Hull. He's determined to get their autographs."_

_Castiel didn't want to admit that if he were to meet either man, he would likely do the exact same._

"_Your brother plays as well?" he asked._

_Dean nodded, putting a few peanuts in his mouth from a bowl on the bar._

"_He'll be here in a couple of years, I guarantee it. The kid is better than me." he said, smiling fondly._

"_I doubt that." Castiel slipped out._

_Dean looked at him with a raised eyebrow, questioning his statement._

"_I've seen your footage. You are great at playing the puck. I think there are ten-year veterans jealous of your abilities." He said, his cheeks coloring with embarrassment._

_Dean grinned at him._

"_You're one to talk. I saw that overtime win last year in your state championships. Man, you looked like a damn blur when you flew across that ice. I wish I had that kind of speed." He said, shaking his head._

_Castiel smiled back, feeling pride swelling in his chest._

"_What about your slap shot a couple of years ago? I think they heard that all the way in Antarctica." He said, fully immersed in talking with this other prospective player._

"_Oh yeah? Well your one-timer almost broke that guy's wrist before hitting the top shelf. You have a scary accurate shot." Dean said, looking thrilled by this conversation._

"_It was only sprained." Castiel countered._

_They both stared at each other for a moment before laughing at once._

"_Oh man, look there's Don Cherry." Dean pointed out once their laughter ceased._

_They both turned, catching sight of the sports anchor's obnoxious suit as he crossed the lobby of the hotel. Castiel and Dean stared after him before looking back at each other, hesitating for a moment before breaking down into laughter once more._

* * *

"I think we need to discuss the terms of a contract." Castiel said, putting the phone on speaker and nodding at Zachariah.

The agent glared at him but knew that in the end, it was his job to do what his client wanted even if it would ruin his career. It was time for him to speak.

"I completely agree." Roman said, sounding pleased at the direction of the conversation.

Zachariah began spouting off information as Balthazar reached over, putting his hand on Castiel's shoulder.

"You doing all right?" he asked, a concerned look on his face.

Castiel nodded, his jaw twitching as he looked over at his friend.

"Tell me that this isn't a mistake." He said in a low voice.

"It's not, Cas. Everyone knows the Hunters are on their way to being contenders and you'll push them even further towards the Cup next year."

"If I'm accepted." Castiel said with uncertainty.

Balthazar shook his head.

"That shit gets left behind as soon as you skate onto that ice, you know that. No one can deny that you'll be a good fit for that team, including the team. You may not have many friends at first but you'll survive it. You are one of the greatest players on the ice right now and you'll prove that in Lawrence as easily as you did it in Pontiac." He reassured him.

Castiel took a deep breath, nodding his head. That was when he noticed the silence in the room. Everyone else was staring at him with open mouths and wide eyes.

"What did I miss?" he asked, feeling embarrassed that he wasn't paying attention.

"What we're offering you, Mr. Novak." Campbell said, sounding slightly annoyed.

Castiel looked at Zachariah expectantly and his agent opened his mouth to repeat the contract offer.

"Six years, nine point five million dollars." He said, hardly able to believe it himself.

Castiel's eyes widened as well. How were they able to come up with that money with several high profile players on their roster? It didn't matter. It was most likely one of the best offers he would receive other than the ridiculous one from the New York Rangers. Castiel knew that he would never play with Sean Avery if he could help it. Zachariah saw the look in his eye and reached for the phone, wanting to mute it.

"We must talk about this before any decisions are…"

Castiel interrupted him with his answer, surprising even the men on the phone into silence.

* * *

_He was the second draft pick overall. No one was surprised when Dean Winchester was chosen first. Castiel ascended the stage, accepting the uniform from the owner of the Pontiac Angels with a wide smile. He slipped off his suit jacket and pulled it over his head. It was big on his form but it felt like it was perfect. It was official. Castiel would play in the National Hockey League and nothing could take that away from him. His eyes scanned the crowd, somehow finding the green eyes across the large room where he was talking to reporters. A Lawrence Hunters sweater hung off of his form, a well-known rival of Castiel's new team. It was almost poetic, considering what happened between the two the night before._

_Castiel couldn't keep his eyes from narrowing as his smile slipped for a moment. The cameras missed nothing, tracking his eyeline to Dean, who was scowling slightly before recovering. They looked away from each other as the commentators began speculating about a rivalry between the top two drafts of 2006. Whatever happened between Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak, the entire world of hockey was looking forward to seeing what these two men would do. No one had any idea just how tangled their careers would be from that point on._

* * *

"Yes." Castiel said, feeling exhilarated as he accepted the terms of the contract.

He could see the groan building in Zachariah's chest but he ignored it as Balthazar clapped him on the back and Roman began congratulating him over the phone.

"We'll leave you here to iron out the details with Zachariah." Balthazar spoke, pulling Castiel up. "We have to celebrate."

As they walked out of the room, the full weight of what he did crashed down on him and Castiel's smile faltered.

"If they don't accept me…" he began as they walked towards the elevators.

"They will." Balthazar said confidently.

"But if they don't…" Castiel continued, looking over at him warily. "I'm done with the sport. I'm not going to be bounced around to another team. I've made my money and saved it well. I want to win another Cup before I go but I've already got one Stanley Cup ring. I don't need another."

Balthazar shook his head, knowing that his best friend was leaning this way.

"You aren't going to retire, Cas." He said.

"I'm just warning you, Balthazar. If this turns nasty and I end up having a fight on my hands, you'll have to help me out of this. Not just as my best friend, but as my lawyer." Castiel said, his blue eyes staring into Balthazar's intensly.

"I'll be there for you. You know that I will." Balthazar nodded at him.

Castiel took a deep breath, nodding as well as they stepped onto the elevator.

"Now, I could use a drink." He decided.

"That's what I'm talking about." Balthazar agreed, tossing his arm around Castiel's shoulder.

As they walked down the busy streets of Pontiac, Castiel couldn't help but wonder one thing. What the hell did he just do?

* * *

**I hope you liked it!**

**A few things:**

**1. In the next chapter, several characters will show up in the present such as our favorite Winchesters.**

**2. You will find out more about Dean and Castiel's rough past.**

**3. Castiel will make the move to Lawrence.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Supernatural or the characters.**

**Summary: Castiel's reason for leaving Pontiac is revealed as well as more details of what happened that night with Dean. The two come face to face for the first time as teammates.**

**Note:**

**Please let me know what you think of my writing. Your comments help a lot in making me better.**

**The next chapter will likely be a Dean POV chapter.**

* * *

"_I can't hear anything." Dean complained, looking up at the television that was in the bar._

_Castiel was just as frustrated. They were discussing the first round and who would likely be chosen early on in the draft and both of them wanted to hear what was said._

"_We could go to a room." he suggested before he really knew what he was saying._

_Dean glanced over at him before grinning._

"_Come on." he said, jumping up._

_Castiel followed him to the elevator, eager to go as well._

"_What floor are you on?" Dean asked._

"_Five, you?" Castiel replied._

_Dean held up three fingers as he pressed on the up button._

"_My room, I guess." He said, looking at Castiel to gauge whether that was okay._

_The darker haired male nodded in agreement and Dean was smiling again. They stepped into the elevator, both on opposite sides but shooting each other curious looks. When their eyes met, both of them flushed and shared a smile before glancing away. Castiel didn't know exactly what this was but he had a pretty good idea. His teenage years were so filled with the glorious goal of reaching the NHL that he didn't exactly have time to pursue a social life, including dating. But he knew pretty early on what his preferences were and Dean fulfilled them perfectly. Once they stepped out of the lift, they both hurried down the hallway to Dean's room and he shoved the keycard into the slot, pushing the door open. As soon as they got inside, they were seated on a bed and the television was switched on._

"_Commercial." Dean sighed once he switched to ESPN._

_They both took deep breaths before glancing at each other once more._

"_Who do you think will draft you?" Dean asked, lying back and propping himself up on his elbows._

_Castiel shrugged, pulling his knees up to his chest._

"_I'm happy if anyone drafts me, I don't even care if it's the Florida Panthers."_

_Dean made a face, looking at him warily._

"_Dude, you won't be drafted by the Florida Panthers. That would be worse than not being drafted. Anyway, you'll get first pick, I guarantee it." he said._

"_No, that honor will go to you. Everyone likes your size." Castiel said, nodding at him._

_Dean shook his head in disagreement._

"_I'm only a couple of inches taller than you and my puck skills aren't as refined." He said._

"_That doesn't matter. You have a lot going for you. Size means you can be intimidating and trust me, a couple of inches makes the difference. You're good enough with the puck that you'll be on the top line in at least your second year, if not your first. You've also got the image." Castiel listed off._

_Dean grinned at him, wondering what he meant._

"_The image?" he asked._

_Castiel shrugged._

"_It's just something I heard from my brother. He had the image too. It's the eyes and the hair and the freckles and the lips. You've got some sort of model thing going on and that will be good for interviews and photo shoots. Trust me, you'll be on the cover of Sports Illustrated someday." Castiel said._

_Dean grinned wider as Castiel flushed, realizing what he'd just said._

"_Not that… you're… you know… well you know how attractive you are." He said, looking away._

_The other male laughed, pushing himself to sit up._

"_It's all right, Cas. I've heard it all before. Besids, I think you've got the image yourself." he shrugged._

_Castiel looked over at him questioningly, ignoring the compliment._

"_Cas?" he said._

"_Yeah, your name is kind of a mouthful and Cas… I don't know, it suits you."_

_Castiel smiled back at him._

"_I like it." he decided. "It's better than Cassie, which is what my brothers call me."_

_Dean laughed and scooted closer to him, making Castiel's heart jump and his hands shake._

"_Your brothers know something about sports?" he asked._

"_Only two of them. Michael is a baseball player and Lucifer is a football player. Gabriel runs a bakery in New York City. My sister, Anna, is a physical therapist." Castiel answered._

"_Wow… all older than you?" Dean wondered._

_Castiel nodded in confirmation._

"_My parents have been through all of this before. Michael was taken first overall in his draft and Lucifer was third overall. I'll be lucky if I breach the first five." He sighed._

"_You will, Cas. I know it." Dean said confidently._

_That brought the smile back to his face._

"_You know, I always heard that you were an arrogant sort of guy on and off the ice. I'm finding that you're quite pleasant." Castiel said, staring at him._

_Dean flushed and grinned, shrugging._

"_Oh I'm extremely arrogant. I guess you just bring out the best in me." he said._

_Castiel smiled wider at him before hearing something from the television._

"_It's back from commercial." He said, glancing over at the screen._

_Dean reached out, turning his head back to face him before leaning in to press their lips together._

* * *

"You know, I can't even walk down the sidewalk without hearing the big news that Castiel Novak has left his team and captaincy to go play with his biggest enemy or whatever." Anna said, walking into his apartment with a tray of coffees and a bag of bagels.

Castiel sighed, closing the door behind her.

"I can't walk down the sidewalk without being accosted by reporters wanting to know if I've lost my mind. Do you want to compare?" he questioned as they moved to the kitchen.

His other siblings were scattered around the room, Gabriel perched on the counter and Lucifer and Michael at the table. Anna set down the food and turned to him, pulling him into a hug. She pressed a kiss to his forehead before pulling away.

"I'm proud of you, Castiel." She said, smiling at him.

"At least there aren't anymore protestors at the games." Gabriel said around a mouthful of bagel.

Anna turned and glared at him.

"I'm sure they'll greet me in Lawrence. It's not as though moving south is going to help." Castiel sighed, reaching for a coffee.

"We'll be there with you, Cassie. No one will touch you." Lucifer assured him, pulling cream cheese out of his sparse fridge.

They all sat around the table, sharing breakfast before they started packing up his apartment. Anna looked over at him, seeing the worried look on Castiel's face as he sipped at his coffee.

"You're going to Lawrence to get a new start, Castiel. That won't happen if you carry this around with you." she said quietly as his brothers shot him sympathetic looks.

It wasn't often that he got anything but teasing from Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer so that proved the seriousness of this situation.

"Anna, I would have to go to Siberia to get a new start and even then it's unlikely that no one will know exactly who I am. This will follow me no matter what team I play for or how accepted it is in the league." Castiel sighed, dropping his head.

His sister shook her head, her red hair falling out of the messy bun it was thrown into.

"I knew I should have punched that woman when I had the chance. It should have been your choice when to make this public." She muttered.

"Hell, if I weren't against hitting women, I would have done it." Gabriel scoffed, looking just as angry.

"No one is punching women." Castiel admonished, picking up his bagel after smearing cream cheese over the two slices.

"I will be fine. I just need to get this over with so that I can go back to playing."

Once they finished breakfast, they split up to start loading his possessions into boxes. Castiel and Michael were in the living room.

"Have you heard from Amelia?" his brother asked.

"She's called a few times but I haven't answered. I don't want to hear anything that woman has to say." Castiel sighed.

Michael nodded at him, putting his DVDs into a box as Castiel turned on the television. As a force of habit, he pressed in the channel number for Sports Center and dropped the remote onto a couch.

"The big story this week is Castiel Novak, the National Hockey League's first openly gay player, and his surprising move." The commentator said almost immediately.

Castiel sighed and shook his head. They couldn't leave it alone.

"After suffering through a being ousted in a tell-all interview by his ex-fiancé last May just as the season ended, Novak has now chosen to leave the Pontiac Angels after eight years. What do you think about this, Mike?"

"Well, it comes as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention, Jerry. While the reaction to Novak's sexuality has been generally positive, there are a few who spoke out against whether he should be allowed to play in the NHL once the playoffs ended, including his own coach and a few of his teammates. While their homophobic remarks drew the disdain of the public and support for the hockey player, they have effectively driven him out of Pontiac." The other announcer said, shaking his head.

"This is Castiel Novak. I mean, he's won the Calder trophy for best rookie, the Lady Byng trophy for best sportsmanship, the Hart Memorial Trophy for league's most valuable player in the regular season, the Art Ross trophy with most points in a season, the Conn Smythe for most valuable player in the playoffs, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award. This is a player who is in a class of his own and what he chooses to do in his private life doesn't matter as long as he continues to perform on the ice."

Castiel flushed, turning his head away as Michael stood up and stared at the screen with narrowed eyes.

"I completely agree with you, Rich. All that I am saying is that while people have been jumping to his defense and demanding the punishment of the individuals who targeted Novak with horrible insults, where has the man himself been? He didn't even give a press conference announcing his decision to leave the Angels and go to the Hunters. Given his tumultuous relationship with the captain of his new team, you would think that he would want to address this now. Does he think that people will leave it alone if he hides out? What he should do is come out and face the world like a man. Castiel Novak is…"

He never got to find out what he was because Michael ripped the remote away from him and shut it off.

"Don't listen to that shit, Castiel." He said in a low, angry voice.

"It's hard to ignore." Castiel muttered, turning his attention to packing once more.

* * *

_Just as their lips met, the door to the hotel room slammed open and they sprang apart, turning to look around. Castiel barely recognized the man at the door before he stomped in, a furious look on his face._

"_What the hell is going on here?" John Winchester demanded, staring between them._

"_Dad, it's not…" Dean began, standing up with a wide-eyed look. "It's not what it looks like."_

_Castiel was frozen, unsure of what to do as two more people stepped into the room. Dean's father glared down at him as his mother tried to calm her husband._

"_Get out." he growled, pointing at the door._

_Castiel stood shakily, looking at Dean for help. The other young man was silent, looking terrified._

"_Get the fuck out of this room and away from my son!" John roared._

"_John!" Mary gasped, putting her hand on his shoulder._

"_Dean?" Castiel whispered._

_Dean didn't look at him, shaking his head as he turned away._

"_You should go, Cas." He said in a quiet voice. "Dad is right, you have to go."_

_Castiel's chest squeezed as he felt hurt at Dean's words. He turned away from him, pushing past the others as he hurried out. The last face he saw was Dean's younger brother looking at him with sad eyes, apologizing for the behavior of his father and brother. Castiel hurried down the hallway to the stairs, taking them two at a time until he was on the fifth floor. He bursted into his room and his siblings looked around as well as his mother and father._

"_Castiel? What happened?" Chuck questioned, standing up._

_He shook his head, fighting back tears as he collapsed against the wall and slid down to sit with his knees against his chest. Before he knew it, Anna was knelt beside him and hugging him as he let his emotions loose. Castiel didn't even know why he was reacting this way. It was his first exposure to the unfair judgments of the world and the fact that Dean hadn't even looked at him before dismissing him didn't help at all. He took a deep breath, steeling himself as he looked up. This would not affect him for one moment longer if he could help it. Castiel was still experiencing the most important weekend of his life thus far and Dean Winchester would not take that away from him._

* * *

Castiel kept his head up, shoving his hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat as he walked into the lobby of the office building opposite Virgin Atlantic Arena where he would be playing. He took a deep breath as he looked at the logo of his new team that was on the wall.

"Mr. Novak." Dick Roman said happily, a grin stretching his face as he walked up to him.

"Please, sir, call me Castiel." He said politely, holding his hand out.

The owner of the team looked thrilled, nodding at him as he steered him towards the elevators.

"I'm going to give you a little tour before taking you to meet some of our staff. I know that Bobby Singer is absolutely ecstatic to be meeting his new top line forward."

Castiel raised his eyebrow at the man, unable to keep his reaction under control. He had met the head coach of the Hunters before and found that the man's mood didn't vary much. He doubted that Singer ever felt ecstatic, much less to meet the player who had been the bane of his team's existence time and time again. Castiel barely listened as Roman chatted away next to him, pointing out different things as they walked down a hallway towards the executive room where he would be officially meeting his new coaches and general manager.

"That is Bobby's office and, oh… it looks like he's coming out."

He steeled himself as the door opened. Instead of the coach stepping out, a devastatingly familiar face walked out instead. Castiel froze in place, staring at the face of his rival with wide eyes. Dean looked similarly stuck, stopping in the doorway as he caught sight of him.

"Well this is even better. Castiel, I'm sure you know Dean Winchester. I am sure you gentlemen will do great things for our team now that you'll be playing together. Absolutely wonderful things." Dick prattled on, looking like his day couldn't get much better.

They both ignored him, staring each other down.

"Well, aren't you going to shake hands? It would be a wonderful way to start out your time as teammates." The owner pushed them.

Even Dick Roman wasn't ignorant of the rivalry between the two. As if they were broken from a spell by his words, both Dean and Castiel glared at each other before looking away. Castiel stepped out of his way and Dean brushed past him without another word. Before Roman could say anything, Castiel headed for the executive room, his heart pounding in his chest as he remembered all of the reasons that he despised Dean Winchester.

* * *

_Castiel was filled with elation as he could still hear the celebrations going on in the locker room. Even the cameras aimed at his face weren't enough to bring down his joy._

"_Castiel!" a reporter yelled out._

_He nodded at him, indicating that he was ready for questions._

"_Many rookies are considered lucky to even score in their first NHL game and you got a hat trick. How are you feeling right now?" the man asked._

_Flashes went off as Castiel thought of his answer quickly._

"_Thankful, mostly. I have a great team around me as well as a great coach. I couldn't have done this without them there to back me up. The Angels have given me the greatest opportunity to prove myself and I am determined to be the best I can be. It's not a successful night unless I give a hundred and ten percent and that's all that I was trying to do tonight. The hat trick is just an added bonus." He answered, smiling at them._

"_Castiel! Castiel!" several of the other reporters shouted, trying to get in the next question._

"_Dean Winchester also had his debut tonight and he scored a goal and had an assist. You two have already been set up as rivals so what do you have to say about his night?"_

_Castiel should have known this was coming. After their look at the draft, everyone was wondering what would happen when the two came in contact on the ice. They wouldn't have to wait much longer. The Angels would play the Hunters in one month._

"_I truly wish him the best. He deserves it." Castiel said simply, wanting to move on from the question._

* * *

Castiel was standing by the window of the executive room when the door opened. He expected it to be Dick Roman or Bobby Singer. He was shocked when he came face to face with the tall form of Sam Winchester.

"Hey." The younger man said, nodding at Castiel as he closed the door.

"Hello." Castiel replied, looking at him warily.

Sam sighed, moving further into the room.

"I'm sorry about my brother. He shouldn't have walked out like that." he said, shaking his head.

Castiel stared at him strangely, unsure of why he was apologizing for Dean.

"That was actually the least confrontational meeting we've had in eight years. I'm sure the guys out there are just happy it didn't end with fists flying." He said, turning his entire body to face Sam.

The other man laughed once, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess." Sam said, glancing back at the door.

Castiel stared at him, tilting his head to the side.

"Why are you in here, Sam?" he questioned.

Sam hesitated before stepping forward.

"I guess I, uh… I just wanted to welcome you to the team. I'm glad you're here." He said, holding his hand out.

Castiel took it, shaking it a few times.

"I'm sure you and Dick Roman are alone in that regard." He said.

"Nah, we're not. The rest of the guys are too. You're gonna be good for our team and they know that. Even Dean knows that but…"

"He certainly won't admit it." Castiel cut him off.

Sam didn't reply but they both knew that it was true.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. I'll see you later." He said, turning to walk out.

Castiel watched him until he hesitated at the door.

"About that night…" Sam began, turning back.

"I really don't want to talk about that." Castiel cut him off, not wanting to hear him talk about a night eight years ago.

Sam sighed, shaking his head.

"You two should really talk about it. I don't think that either of you fully understand what happened." Sam said before walking out and leaving Castiel alone.

He stared at the closed door, wondering exactly what that meant. He was left alone for all of one minute before Roman came in followed by Bobby and Samuel and the rest of the coaching staff.

"All right, let's talk." Dick said, grinning at everyone as they took seats.

* * *

**Please review!**


End file.
